Kissing Disease
by Cassie Jamie
Summary: There were other ways they could have come out. [Slash]


**Pairing:** John/Rodney  
**Notes:** This was supposed to be done for forcryinoutloud a bit ago. Rodney didn't want to cooperate.

* * *

"Rodney. Hey, Rodney, wake up." John shook Rodney gently, before running a hand over his lover's forehead. Still feverish, "Time for some food, babe. And Carson gave me your meds." 

Slowly, Rodney woke up and sluggishly opened his eyelids to look at John, "Not hungry."

"I didn't think so but you've got to eat something or Carson wants you back in the infirmary. He wants you there as it is, anyway." John cast a critical eye over the man; he'd not been comfortable with Carson releasing Rodney to quarters but Rodney had begged to go home and John figured one puppy dog look was all Carson had needed.

"Soup?"

"Chicken noodle." John told him. He helped move Rodney to sit with his back to the wall, climbed in beside Rodney, and set the tray on his legs.

Rodney made a disgusted noise and clicked his tongue, "God. I feel like I've been sucking on an electrical wire." He smacked John feebly when he felt around the bed as if looking for one, "Not funny."

John just smiled at him, and grabbed the spoon, "Time to eat," and he raised the spoon from the bowl. He dodged Rodney's hand as he tried to take the utensil, "Aht. Carson ordered me to make sure you took it easy until you're recovered." He tried not to laugh as Rodney attempted to look indignant and failed miserably.

"This bites." Rodney whined the minute he finished swallowing the soup.

Spooning up more, John stopped himself from saying something antagonistic. It wasn't Rodney's fault that he'd contracted Mono from Teyla; neither had realized the virus was active when he took the drink from her glass the last mission, and to be fair, Rodney had only just gotten over the flu a week before that so his immune system wasn't up to par to begin with. He quietly put the spoon to Rodney's lips.

John didn't fail to notice the grateful look that was shot at him as Rodney opened his mouth, "How much more you think you can handle?"

Rodney shook his head gently, "None. I'm full." Which was a lie but John had had Mono as a teen and he knew not to push it, "Pills and then I'll tuck you back in." He reached for the glass of juice on the tray, grabbed the meds, and helped Rodney take them.

"Thanks." Rodney muttered after John had taken care of the tray, "Not really used to this."

"I know. Come on, let's get you laying down again. Are you sure you want this blanket and not a sheet?" John ran a hand over his lover's forehead, feeling the heat and wishing he could convince Rodney to take a bath, but Rodney would inevitably refuse. Rodney took showers, he saw no point to stewing in his own filth unless it involved sex.

"Actually..."

Before Rodney could finish speaking, John was up and in the small closet, pulling one of the top sheets Rodney'd been issued upon their arrival. The Air Force had splurged on them, knowing the expedition was likely going on a one way trip, and the sheets were not the normal standard issue. John had thanked Jack O'Neill during a visit the last trip he'd taken to Earth aboard the Daedalus. Though it was fairly strange to see the man who'd pretty much convinced him to go to Pegasus cooking with Daniel in the archeologist's apartment.

John held the edge of the sheet as he flipped it out and laid it over Rodney, "I've got to go debrief with Elizabeth. I'll come by before I go to bed, alright?"

"Yeah." Both eyes were closed and Rodney probably hadn't heard him. John leaned over to kiss Rodney, lingering a moment against the warm, slightly parted lips until his brain screeched at him to stop and he forced himself away.

It was a little more than a week later that John began to regret that kiss. Rodney was back on his feet though only allowed two to three hours of work a day since he was still tiring quickly, but John was showing many of the symptoms Rodney and Teyla had.

"Colonel, what brings you here this fine day?" Carson asked as he exited his office and took in the sight of the military commander. John seemed to be feverish, his cheeks reddened, and he didn't need to feel the man's neck to know his glands were swollen, "Cay, will you take the Colonel to his usual bed? I'll be along in a minute."

The petite blonde led him to the bed John had come to know well. It was usually the one he found himself in whenever he was injured and Carson had taken to calling it "his usual bed" after the incident with the stranded wraith.

She handed him a set of scrubs, watching him change before writing down his complaint on a clipboard and taking his temperature. She had begun taking his blood pressure when Carson walked into the room, "Colonel." He waited for Cay to finish, a nod of his head in thanks as she left, "So, sore throat, swollen glands, fever of 102.1..." He sighed, "I'll need to do a blood test to be sure, but I think it's safe to say you've got mono. I'll need to know what contact you've had with Rodney."

"Why Rodney? How do you know it wasn't Teyla?"

Carson immediately raised one eyebrow, "Because Dr. Weir hasn't allowed Teyla to get too far out of her sight since she became ill and you've been with Rodney, so it had to have been a consequence of something you did with Rodney."

John actually felt himself begin to blush and he wondered if he could say it was because of the fever, "I can't think of anything."

"Doctor-patient, John. Keep that in mind."

"Uh, well." John stalled, then let out a breath and said, "I kissed him goodnight. It's habit."

Carson wanted to immediately berate his friend, but seeing John swaying ever so gently from side to side as he sat in the bed made him not. He sighed instead, pushing John until he was laying down on the bed, and moved the scrubs so he could feel for John's spleen. He was unsurprised to find it felt enlarged, "I'll have Cay come back and do the blood test."

"I've got to go meet Bates..."

"You'll not have to meet anyone for the next few weeks, Colonel. You're not to do anything strenuous until your spleen is back to normal. I'll send along a note to the Sergeant to let him know you're otherwise detained." Carson smirked, "And I'll let Rodney know. Though really John, you didn't have to get the kissing disease to let us know you've become a couple."

John groaned and closed his eyes. He didn't open them until Elizabeth showed up, smirk on her face while Rodney scowled, "Quite the way to come out, John." She laughed at his reaction, bringing his hands up to pull the pillow against his ears.

"Only you could be part of that small statistic of people who contract infectious mononucleosis a second time." Rodney continued to scowl, glancing backward over his shoulder and John could see Caldwell standing there.

The Colonel seemed amused and that had to be a good thing, otherwise John was in for a one way trip back to Earth and a court martial. He really, really hoped Caldwell wasn't going to do that.

"Well, I have to go change the mission roster. Get well soon, John." Then Elizabeth was gone and the tension in the room was thrumming. Rodney had moved to John's side and wasn't budging, no matter what gesture Caldwell did to try to get him to leave.

"Sir, whatever you're going to say to me I'll just tell him anyway."

Caldwell nodded, "This relationship hasn't interfered with your work and since you're not under my command it's not something I can say anything about. But I want you to know that since my partner would have my hide for turning you in, that so long as no one tries to contact a person outside the SGC with this, you're safe. I recommend you sit down and have a talk with your men when you're not in Beckett's clutches."

John nodded, waiting until the man left before smirking at Rodney, "His _partner_. I believe you owe me some coffee there, Rodney."

"Stop talking." Rodney snapped at him as he played with the railing, finally getting it to unlock and slide down. He slowly crawled onto the bed, still tired after four weeks of being sick, and Rodney arranged John to his liking before relaxing.

"See, told you it'd be a good idea to come out." John whispered.

Rodney jabbed him in the side.


End file.
